Blog Archives

Greetings.

All Beings would like to invite the community to two upcoming events next week.

Sunday, January 15th, 8:30 AM: I, Sam, will provide a one-hour lesson in how to cook a basic Japanese oryoki breakfast of rice, soup, and pickles.  I’ll include ingredients, tools, and methods.

Monday, January 16th, 6:30 AM or 9:00 AM to 12 Noon: Half-Day Retreat in the zendo. This will include one oryoki meal, a talk by Inryu Bobbi Ponce-Barger, and an opportunity for one-to-one practice discussion.  When you RSVP, please let Inryu know which start time works for you.

RSVP to Inryu for either event.

Be well, and stay warm,

Sam

One Day Retreat – November 5th, 2016

In our exploration of change as a constant

stepping firmly into the moment

not knowing

Thank you to everyone for contributing to this amazing day. Gratitude to our Sangha. – Daijaku Mario Faraone

“In other words, we are captive to our own self-created illusion of permanence”. (Grassroots Zen –Manfred B. Steger and Perle Besserman)

Join us for a day of possibilities and silence at Woodburn Hill Farm on November 5^th. As we have done before, let’s come together as a shanga (community) to celebrate our constant companion, “Change”. Let’s support each other through sitting, walking, eating, drinking tea and practice discussion. Please consider giving this gift to yourself and all of us by attending! For information and to RSVP, please email Mario.  Suggested donation for this one will be $15.

See you on the mat. – Mario

Greetings –

Just wanted to let everyone know that we have some events coming up this fall, all worth your time.  I’ve listed them out here but they’ll remain under Fall 2016 Events on the site as well.  If you have any questions, please send Shinren Mark Stone an e-mail.  Many thanks, hope to see you soon, and have a cup of tea.

Sam

These are on a Thursday evening at 7 pm at the All Beings Zendo, unless otherwise noted:

• September 15th —Rev. Inryu talk on “The Bodhisattvas All Around Us”
• October 6th — Way Seeking Mind Talk, Shinren Mark
• October 27th —Way Seeking Mind Talk, Jirin Colleen
• October 30th —Sunday morning 8am book discussion tea—“One Bird, One Stone”
• November 5th — One Day Meditation Retreat at Woodburn Hill Farm
• November 17th —Dharma talk, R. Liam Ōshin Jennings
• November 20th—Sunday morning 8am—Dharma talk, Konin Melissa Cardenas
• December 8th — Practice Discussion: “Reflections on a Week at Tassajara” Eric  Jonas

Members of the All Beings Zen Sangha at our early August 2016 Meditation Retreat (Sesshin) at Woodburn Hill Farm.

Hi everyone.

Harpers Ferry, WV yogi Alexa Mergen recently attended the retreat out at Woodbury Hill Farm with Dairyu Michael Wenger Roshi.  She has a very in-depth and instructive write up on her experience on her blog.  Good stuff, and well worth you’re time.

Check it out here.

Thanks everyone!

Sam

Rev. Shojo Danny Parker will offer a talk on “Yunmen: All the World is You” – Thursday May 26th 7pm

Rev. Shojo Danny Parker is currently the resident priest at “The Zen Room” in Cocoa Beach Florida.  He is a long time friend and supporter of our All Beings Zen Sangha and will offer a teaching on May 26th.  Rev. Shojo received priest ordination at the Berkeley Zen Center in the lineage of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi in 2011.  His long time zen teacher, Edward Espe Brown was the preceptor.  In addition to being a Zen teacher, Rev. Shojo is a writer, scientist and cook.

Daishin McCabe Dharma Talk on the Daoist Roots of Zen – Thursday May 5th, 2016

Daishin Eric McCabe is a Soto Zen Buddhist priest.
He teaches Buddhist philosophy, meditation, yoga, and calligraphy to people of all walks of life and spiritual paths. Daishin undertook a 15 year mentorship with Abbess Dai-En Bennage of Mount Equity Zendo, located in rural central Pennsylvania. During this time he trained at various Soto Zen Monasteries in Japan, France, California, and Nebraska.

All Beings will continue with our reading group!  This has been a fun way for folks to get together and talk about the practice in an informal environment, and with tea and cookies!

For Sunday, May 29th, we’re reading How the Swans Came to the Lake, by Rick Fields.  It’s an overview of how Buddhism has mingled with ‘western’ cultures and specifically the US.  Pretty engaging read, I can assure you, and it should provide ample material for discussion.  For the 29th, we’ll focus on the first half of the book, roughly.

We’ll meet at the All Beings Zendo space at 8 am.  Contact Inryu for more info if you need it.

Here are some helpful links.  Libraries and local bookstores are encouraged, but there’s always used copies on Amazon too.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/24955175

Hope to see you there!  These are both pleasantly serious and engaging and very non-stuffy.

Sam

John Flanagan
April 4 at 1:17pm

In Zen, we say “When we eat in peace, we create the conditions for peace.” All of this starts in the kitchen, under the direction of the Tenzo. On Sunday, I had the great opportunity to watch the chefs of All Beings Zen, under the direction of Inryu Bobbi Ponce-Barger, create oryoki lunch for the Sanga during a one-day workshop at Woodburn Hill Farm. Watching Buddhists prepare food is an experience unlike any other (and eating the food is, too!)